“Someone who is willing to help.” She had finished adjusting her seat and mirrors and sat staring at him earnestly, hands on top of the steering wheel, “You don’t think this is real anyway, do you? So what does it matter?”

  He actually couldn’t argue that. She knew this car would be unlocked, keys inside, with an envelope full of money. Even if this had been real it seemed like more of a “borrow” then a “steal” scenario to him. Slightly anyway.

  “Now check the middle please.” She asked, making her final minute adjustments before backing out.

  He pulled open the compartment between their seats and looked inside.

  “Two packs of cigarettes. Two lighters. A few charging cables. A zippo. Three tubes about the size of magic markers.” He called out what he found as he pawed through the pile, he could feel her grin before he even looked back up at her when he was done.

  “Fuck yeah, they came through.” She laughed as she put the car into reverse, its backup camera replacing the screen in their console with a picture of what lay behind them.

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  “So…you wanted this stuff?” Now he was confused all over again. Cigarettes and power cords? Gross and mundane. Respectively.

  Rachel backed out and made her way to the side of the lot to leave. Tim didn’t see any movement in the parking lot, but he swore he could see shadows passing behind the molten golden glow bouncing from the hospitals wall of glass doors. Rachel took a right at the auto attendant and towards the highway. Tim looked back towards the hospital as she drove, wondering what he was leaving behind. They drove past a small playground adjacent to the hospital, a few slides and swings in a small enclosure of trees. Tim pictured the people who may have used this spot. Small children waiting to hear about a sibling or parent. A young couple meeting here in secret to avoid prying eyes… that thought made him smile involuntarily. He wasn’t quite sure what this was all about but it didn’t make sense to turn his back on the possibilities. Rachel had bluntly told him that she was trying to save his soul. Nothing he had seen so far made him doubt that she believed what she was saying.

  “So, what are we doing? What’s the plan here, the goal?” he decided to swerve right into this for now. He buckled up to stop the car from bing bonging him while she composed her answer.

  “There is something I need to see. And I need you to come with me. This working depends on both of us, so you can’t fuck this up!” At this last she was kidding, he hoped.